bookcurios Chapter 268 Discovery
Chapter 268 Discovery
Jiang Zhuo is so foolish!
Liao Hongsheng didn't believe he couldn't understand this principle. The reason he agreed was ultimately because he cared too much about his younger brother.
Isn't he afraid that the Grand Tutor will hold a grudge against the princess and set up a trap for her?
He must be conflicted too, right?
Otherwise, he wouldn't have breathed a sigh of relief after Zheng Xun pointed it out.
Zheng Xun gave Jiang Zhuo a meaningful look: "Lord Jiang, there's no need to rush. I advise you not to let your younger brother run wild, otherwise, he will cause a great disaster, and it will be too late."
She didn't care whether Jiang Zhuo indulged his family, but no matter how much he indulged them, it couldn't be brought into official business.
This time it was just a small matter, so she brought it up jokingly, but if there's a next time, it won't be so simple.
Jiang Zhuo said with shame, "Thank you for your guidance, Princess!"
Then, Zhichun returned.
She whispered something in Zheng Xun's ear, and Zheng Xun frowned slightly.
After Zhichun stepped back, she looked at Liao and Jiang and said, "That's all for today. You two should go back now."
Liao Hongsheng was itching with curiosity; he truly loved joining in the fun. After some calculation, he knew Zheng Xun wouldn't hold it against him, so he shamelessly wiped away imaginary tears: "Princess! It's been so long! This old minister has missed you dearly..."
Zheng Xun: ...
"Stay if you don't want to leave."
Liao Hongsheng, who had succeeded, immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess!"
Jiang Zhuo rolled his eyes and cursed him inwardly for being shameless.
Yes, he's just jealous.
If he doesn't perform well this time, his standing in the princess's heart may be surpassed by Liao Hongsheng!
Although the two are good friends, such is the way of vying for patronage.
They are all smart people; after this time and time again, who wouldn't see the signs?
Some people didn't dare to think that way, only assuming that Zheng Xun would become the regent princess.
However, Jiang and Liao Hongsheng reached a different conclusion.
Although no one said it out loud or admitted it, just by looking at the actions of the emperor and the princess, they still came to an unbelievable conclusion—the princess wanted that position.
Feeling he couldn't be outdone, he respectfully said, "Princess..."
Zheng Xun looked at Jiang Zhuo and said, "Lord Jiang, please have a seat."
Lord Jiang... he's quite a remarkable person, but not as remarkable as his wife.
After guessing my purpose, he found the guess astonishing and immediately blurted out "absurd." He then couldn't sleep for several nights afterward.
Jiang Zhuo: ...
Although he knew he couldn't hide anything from the princess, he wondered if she wouldn't cover for him at all.
It's understandable that he was making a fuss; the result of his guess was simply too shocking. After all, the Great Yong Dynasty did have a crown prince.
If that's really what the emperor meant, then what about the crown prince?
If this precedent is set, the significance of the "crown prince" position will be greatly diminished, and the so-called "heir apparent" will become a joke.
In the future, the emperor's other children, with their restless minds, will inevitably pose a great threat to the court and the position of crown prince.
This head cannot be opened.
The crown prince is weak-willed.
But by the time the crown prince ascends the throne, the He Kingdom may already be gone. Even if the crown prince is incompetent, with these ministers around, the Dayong Kingdom will not be in great turmoil. Why would there be a need to change the crown prince?
However, the conclusion that "the Emperor wants to support Princess Yuanjia to the throne" is just his speculation.
He couldn't persuade her to stop even if he wanted to.
At that time, neither my father nor I were in the capital. Jiang Zhuo tossed and turned every night. Madam Jiang endured it for a long time, but he kept her awake because of his noise. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and kicked him out of the room.
Jiang Zhuo stood outside for half an hour. When Madam Jiang noticed that he hadn't gone to his study to sleep, she was both distressed and angry. She pulled him back and asked him why he was acting strangely.
Lord Jiang didn't want to voice his suspicions, but the couple always talked about everything, so he couldn't hold out for long.
After Madame Chiang's persuasion, Lord Chiang came to his senses.
Liao Hongsheng: ?
What's the key point? How did you persuade her? Princess, tell us!
He looked at Jiang Zhuo with longing eyes.
Jiang Zhuo ignored his winking and gesturing.
How did you manage to persuade them?
The lady told him, "Putting aside the position of crown prince, the princess is clearly more reliable than her elder brother."
He argued, "But the Crown Prince didn't do anything wrong..."
“You’re being silly. The princess once said that for a ruler, incompetence is the greatest sin,” she said gently and persuasively. “Besides, without the princess, the future of Dayong might be even more tragic. As a subject, you only need to do what you’re supposed to do. We don’t need to worry about anything else.”
To put it bluntly, who does he think he is?
He can't decide who will be emperor!
"You're just an imperial censor. People's hearts are restless. Who knows if the ministers will be corrupted by power and change their minds? Can you stop them then? Can the crown prince suppress them?"
"Then the princess might also be..."
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean that a goddess like the princess can't."
The lady gently patted his chest: "Even for the sake of the common people, having a good emperor is a good thing, isn't it?"
Jiang Zhuo's attitude softened because of this statement.
It's fine if he understands it, but he understands it too well.
Jiang Zhuo had just stopped reminiscing when he was so startled by this heartfelt statement that he almost knelt down.
He was thinking far ahead; he pulled his wife back to bed and asked earnestly, "Madam, I remember your sister had a prescription..."
Madame Chiang was completely bewildered and asked him what prescription he wanted.
It turns out that a distant relative of Madame Chiang recovered remarkably well after giving birth, supposedly because she had a formula for strengthening the body, and he hoped Madame Chiang could inquire about it for him.
Madame Chiang Kai-shek, on a whim, asked him, "You want to have a child?"
At the time, Lord Jiang didn't react and asked dumbly, "How can I give birth?"
Madame Chiang was furious: "Then who else do you want to have a child with?"
"It wasn't me who gave birth! If the princess is to become emperor, then she will have to have children eventually. The emperor's health is of utmost importance!"
Madame Chiang Kai-shek gave him a beating: "Give birth! Give birth! My foot! How old is the princess!"
"But that day will come!" Jiang Zhuo said, feeling wronged. "Wasn't I doing this for the princess's own good?"
"You don't need to worry about that! The princess is of noble birth, aren't you afraid that something might happen to her after she uses the prescription!"
"You have to try! Please! Madam, *sucks*"
Madame Chiang was so persistent with him that she had no choice but to agree in the end.
As Jiang Zhuo listened to the princess's heartfelt words and mimicked her coquettish mannerisms perfectly, his ears burned bright red.
He said that the princess should stay away from the court officials!
However, if the princess knows his heart, then things will be much easier.
He and Liao Hongsheng had a third purpose in entering the palace: to test the emperor and princess's attitudes.
This time, they are going to extend an olive branch to the princess in a grand and ostentatious manner.
If the emperor and the crown prince become wary of them because of their closeness, then the situation is not so optimistic.
This suggests that the emperor's support for the princess was feigned, or rather, not to that extent yet. If the crown prince were to become dissatisfied, it would mean that a new round of political struggle would begin in the court.
They always need to ascertain the attitude of their superiors before deciding how to proceed.